Motor-mounting bracket

ABSTRACT

A motor-mounting bracket for a boat having an upright platelike member at the bow and a transverse pin mounted in the platelike member which includes lugs swingably mounted on the pin on opposite sides of the platelike member, a mounting bracket swingable with the lugs between an extended position in which an end portion of the bracket extends outwardly of the boat and a retracted position inside the boat, and a motor support on the bracket.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Ralph E. Jackson 2250 Janes Ln., Covington, Ky. 41011 [21] Appl. No. 881,706 [22] Filed Dec. 3, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 28, 1971 [54] MOTOR-MOUNTING BRACKET 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.C1 9/1 R, 115/17, 248/4 [51] Int. Cl B63b 17/00 [50] Field of Search 1 15/05 R, 17, 18; 248/4, 3; 9/1; 1 14/05 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,119,281 115/05 5/1938 Luders,.lr

3,119,365 l/1964 Evans 115/17 3,245,640 4/1966 lbbs 248/4 3,505,971 4/1970 Dalke 248/4 X Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant Examiner-F. K. Yee Attorney-Pearce 8L Schaeperklaus m miniaenz'suam 3.629.885

i l A; INVENTOR.

RALPH E. JAC KSON fin/waxy Attorneys MOTOR-MOUNTING BRACKET This invention relates to bow mounts for mounting trolling motors on the bow of a boat and more particularly to mounting such trolling motors on boats provided with hulls having dense or plastic resin skins filled with expanded resin foam.

An object of this invention is to provide a trolling motor mount for mounting such a motor on a boat without puncturing or damaging the surface of the boat structure.

A further object of this invention is to provide a trolling motor bow mount which will support a trolling motor in operative relation in position for propelling the boat and also which permits swinging of the trolling motor to a substantially inboard position in which it may be examined, stored, and serviced.

Another object of this invention is to provide a trolling motor mounting bracket which may be attached to a boat without defacing the boat in any way by the use of screws, bolts, or other hardware.

Briefly, this invention provides a motor-mounting bracket for a boat having an upright member adjacent the bow thereof in which a transverse pin is mounted, which bracket includes a pair of lugs swingably mounted on the pin opposite sides of the platelike member, and a bracket body attached to and swingable with the lugs between an extended position in which an end portion of the bracket extends outwardly of the boat and a retracted position inside the boat. A motor is mounted on the end portion and the motor is supported with the bracket resting on a gunnel portion of the boat when the motor drives the boat.

The above and other features and objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings illustrating what presently appears to be the preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts,

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation partly in section showing the forward section of a boat upon which a trolling motor is mounted by means of a bracket shown partly in section embodying my invention and with modified positioning of the bracket and a fragmentary portion of the trolling motor shown in dot-dash lines, the section being taken on the line 11 in FIG. 2 with the bracket being broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the boat with trolling motor and mounting bracket as shown in.

FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the mounting bracket shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of the mounting bracket of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view in rear elevation of the mounting bracket shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a fragmentary portion of the boat being shown in association therewith;

FIG. 6 is a view in section of a fragmentary portion of a boat, motor mount, and motor constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a view in side elevation of a mounting bracket of the device shown in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the mounting bracket shown in FIG. 7.

In the drawing and in the following specification, like reference characters indicate like parts.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown a fragmentary part of a boat 10 which can be of the type sometimes known as a Boston Whaler and includes a hull having a core 12 of plastic foam and molded fiber glass reinforced surface layers 13 and 14 on opposite faces thereof. Integrally formed with the hull at the bow end thereof is an integral bow anchor cleat, an upstanding platelike member 16 which extends lengthwise of the boat and which carries a transverse pin 17. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, opposite ends of the pin 17 extend on opposite sides of the member 16.

The pin 17 forms a mounting pivot for a motor mounting bracket 18 shown in detail in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. The motormounting bracket 18 includes a body 19 and removable lugs 21, which are removably attached to the body 19 by screw fasteners 22. The body 19 includes a main plate portion 23, an upstanding end wall 24, and upstanding generally triangular shaped sidewalls 26 which strengthen and rigidify the body 19. Each lug 21 is provided with a transverse bore 27 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The body 19 and the lugs 21 can be formed of rigid metal. A central opening 28 (FIG. 3) is formed in the plate portion 23.

The lugs 21 are mounted on the transverse pin 17 on opposite sides of the member 16 with the bores 27 receiving the pin 17, and the body is attached to the lugs by the screws 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that the body 19 can swing between the full-line position of FIG. 1 through the position shown in dot-dash lines at 19' and further inwardly into the interior of the boat. However, the mounting bracket is locked against sliding off the pin 17 because the lugs 21 are on opposite sides of the member 16. A conventional electric trolling motor 31 can be mounted on the end wall 24 of the mounting bracket with attaching clamp screws 32 gripping the end wall 24, as shown in FIG. 1, and the electric motor hangs in front of the boat hull and can be used for slow propulsion of the boat 10 during fishing. During use of the electric motor, the plate portion 23 of the body 19 rests on the upper face of the member 16 and on a gunnel 33 of the boat at the bow thereof. The central opening 28 in the main plate 23 receives a base or boss 40 of bow light 39 mounted on the upper face of the gunnel 33. The boss 40 is spaced from the pin and acts to hold the motor-mounting bracket in centered position at the bow of the boat.

In FIGS. 6-8 is shown a motor-mounting bracket 41 which is generally similar to that already described but differs therefrom in that a resilient pad 42 of rubber or other rubberlike material is attached to the underside of the body 43 thereof and can rest on the upper portion of an upright platelike member 44 (FIG. 6) and on the gunnel of the bow portion of a boat 46 when a motor 47 is in operative position. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the pad 42 can cover the underside of the body 43 with the exception of the portion thereof at which lugs 47 are mounted and the portion at the opposite end thereof, a central opening 48 being formed in the rubber pad in alignment with an opening 49 in a plate portion 51 of the body portion 43 thereof.

Motor-mounting bracket 18 is mounted on a boat while one lug 21 is attached to body 19 and the other lug 21 detached therefrom. With body 19 overlaying member 16, the bore 27 of the lug 21 attached to body 19 is aligned with one projecting portion of pin 17, and the lug shifted toward member 16 to place pin 17 in the bore 27. Thereafter the detached lug 21 may be similarly placed upon the oppositely projecting portion of pin 17 and secured to body 19 by screws 22, and the portion of member 16 located between the lugs 21 retains them in cooperating relation to the respective projection portions of pin 17.

The motor-mounting constructions illustrated in the drawing and described above are subject to structural modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination with a boat having an upright platelike member adjacent the gunnel thereof and a transverse stationary pin mounted in the platelike member to provide cleat structure, a motor-mounting bracket attachable to the boat without modification of the boat and which comprises a pair of lugs swingably mounted on the stationary pin of the boat on opposite sides of the platelike member, a body releasably attached in fixed relation to and swingable in unison with the lugs between an extended position in which an end portion of the body extends outwardly of the boat and a retracted position inside the boat, and means on the-end portion for supporting a motor in boat-propelling relation with the said body resting on the gunnel of the boat.

2. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a bow light having a base is mounted on the gunnel portion of the boat spaced from the pin and the body has an opening therein which receives the base when the body is outwardly of the boat in motor-supporting position.

3. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a bow light having a base is mounted on the gunnel portion of the boat spaced from the pin and the body has an opening therein which receives the base when the body is in motor-supporting position for holding the body in position.

4. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a pad of rubberlike material is received between the body and the gunnel of the boat 5. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a bow light having a base is mounted on the gunnel portion of the boat spaced from the pin, the body has an opening therein which receives the base when the body is in motor-supporting position and a pad of rubberlike material is disposed annularly of the bow light base and between the body and the gunnel of the boat when the body is in extended position.

6. A motor-mounting bracket for a boat having an upright platelike member adjacent the gunnel thereof and a transverse stationary pin mounted in the platelike member to provide cheat structure, said motor-mounting bracket attachable to the boat without modification of the boat comprising a pair of lugs swingably mountable on the stationary pin of the boat on opposite sides of the platelike member, a body releasably attachable in fixed relation to the lugs to swing in unison therewith between an extended position in which an end portion of the body extends outwardly of the boat and a retracted position inside the boat, and means on the end portion for supporting a motor in boat-propelling relation with the said body resting on the gunnel of the boat. 

1. In combination with a boat having an upright platelike member adjacent the gunnel thereof and a transverse stationary pin mounted in the platelike member to provide cleat structure, a motor-mounting bracket attachable to the boat without modification of the boat and which comprises a pair of lugs swingably mounted on the stationary pin of the boat on opposite sides of the platelike member, a body releasably attached in fixed relation to and swingable in unison with the lugs between an extended position in which an end portion of the body extends outwardly of the boat and a retracted position inside the boat, and means on the end portion for supporting a motor in boatpropelling relation with the said body resting on the gunnel of the boat.
 2. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a bow light having a base is mounted on the gunnel portion of the boat spaced from the pin and the body has an opening therein which receives the base when the body is outwardly of the boat in motor-supporting position.
 3. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a bow light having a base is mounted on the gunnel portion of the boat spaced from the pin and the body has an opening therein which receives the base when the body is in motor-supporting position for holding the body in position.
 4. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a pad of rubberlike material is received between the body and the gunnel of the boat.
 5. A combination as in claim 1 wherein a bow light having a base is mounted on the gunnel portion of the boat spaced from the pin, the body has an opening therein which receives the base when the body is in motor-supporting position and a pad of rubberlike material is disposed annularly of the bow light base and between the body and the gunnel of the boat when the body is in extended position.
 6. A motor-mounting bracket for a boat having an upright platelike member adjacent the gunnel thereof and a transverse stationary pin mounted in the platelike member to provide cheat structure, said motor-mounting bracket attachable to the boat without modification of the boat comprising a pair of lugs swingably mountable on the stationary pin of the boat on opposite sides of the platelike member, a body releasably attachable in fixed relation to the lugs to swing in unison therewith between an extended position in which an end portion of the body extends outwardly of the boat and a retracted position inside the boat, and means on the end portion for supporting a motor in boat-propelling relation with the said body resting on the gunnel of the boat. 